Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ghana
Ghana: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 67.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ghana, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ghana is 67.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ghana peaked at 88.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 67.5%, in 2025.
Ghana ranks 37th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 88.1% | — |
| 1992 | 87.6% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 87.0% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 86.5% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 86.1% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 85.6% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 85.1% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 84.4% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 83.6% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 82.8% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 82.4% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 82.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 81.7% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 81.3% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 80.9% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 80.5% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 80.1% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 79.7% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 79.3% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 78.9% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 78.3% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 77.8% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 77.3% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 76.8% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 76.4% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 74.9% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 73.4% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 71.9% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 70.5% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 70.2% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 68.7% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 68.4% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 68.1% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 67.9% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 67.5% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 86.0% | 83.6% | 88.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 81.1% | 79.3% | 82.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.6% | 70.5% | 78.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.5% | 67.5% | 70.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More work & labour data for Ghana
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1512 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1464 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1562 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.2734 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 37,518 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 13,752 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 34,429 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 33,119 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 67,548 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ghana?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ghana was 67.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 88.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.5% in 2025.
- How does Ghana rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Ghana ranks 37th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.